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A Prophet from Judah Visits Bethel

33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen)[a] Jeroboam[b] offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13 Just then[c] a prophet[d] arrived from Judah with[e] the Lord’s message for Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. He cried out against the altar with the Lord’s message, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord has said, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”[f] That day he had also given a sign, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has declared: The altar will split open and the ashes[g] on it will pour out.” When the king heard the prophet’s message that he had cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam took his hand from the altar and pointed it[h] saying, “Seize him!” Then the hand that he had pointed at him stiffened up,[i] and he could not pull it back. Meanwhile the altar split open, and the ashes[j] poured from the altar in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had given with the Lord’s message. The king responded to[k] the prophet, “Seek the favor of[l] the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor and the king’s hand was restored as it was at first. The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat, so that I may give you a gift.”[m] But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions,[n] I would not go with you. I am not allowed to eat food or drink water in this place. For this is how I was commanded in the Lord’s message, ‘Eat no food. Drink no water. And do not return by the way you came.’” 10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 12:33 tn Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”
  2. 1 Kings 12:33 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. 1 Kings 13:1 tn Heb The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.
  4. 1 Kings 13:1 tn Heb “the man of God.” Also in vv. 4-8.
  5. 1 Kings 13:1 tn Or “in keeping with” (also at vv. 2, 5, 9, 17, 18, 32).
  6. 1 Kings 13:2 sn “Lookyou.” For the fulfillment of this prophecy see 2 Kgs 23:15-20.
  7. 1 Kings 13:3 tn Heb “the fat,” i.e., fat mixed with ashes from the altar (HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן).
  8. 1 Kings 13:4 tn Heb “extended his hand from the altar.”
  9. 1 Kings 13:4 tn Heb The verb יָבֵשׁ (yavesh) usually describes water sources as dry or plants as dry and withered. Applied to a hand or an arm (Zech 11:17), it probably means to be(come) stiff, feeble, or both. TEV and NLT interpret this as “became paralyzed.”
  10. 1 Kings 13:5 tn The fat mixed with ashes. See note v. 3.
  11. 1 Kings 13:6 tn Heb “answered and said to.”
  12. 1 Kings 13:6 tn Heb “appease” or “soften the face of,” twice in this verse.
  13. 1 Kings 13:7 tn Or “reward.”
  14. 1 Kings 13:8 tn Heb “house,” representing one’s estate or possessions.

33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel.(A) So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

The Man of God From Judah

13 By the word of the Lord a man of God(B) came from Judah to Bethel,(C) as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah(D) will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places(E) who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” That same day the man of God gave a sign:(F) “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”

When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord.

Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede(G) with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before.

The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.”(H)

But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions,(I) I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread(J) or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” 10 So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.